The Chicago Blackhawks' second high-profile extension of the offseason is easier to like than the first.

Two days after signing goalie Corey Crawford to a six-year, $36 million deal, the Blackhawks announced a five-year extension with defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. It's worth an annual average of $4.1 million, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

Niklas Hjalmarsson played tougher minutes last season than any Blackhawks defenseman. (AP Photo)

Hjalmarsson, 26, has one more season on the books at $3.5 million before his new deal begins. Last season, he played tougher even-strength minutes than any Blackhawks defenseman, based on Rob Vollman's usage charts, and spent a team-high average of 2:42 on the penalty kill. He also had two goals and eight assists.

"He's a warrior. He's a heart-and-soul guy. He's very relied upon by our coaching staff, they trust him," general manager Stan Bowman said.

"He does a lot of the things that some guys don't want to do—penalty killing, blocking shots, defending, keeping the puck out of the net. And that's really important when we've got a lot of guys that a play a different style than that."

It is, indeed. Hjalmarsson, had he hit the open market, would've gotten paid more, but he "fell in love" with the city and team, and isn't interested in playing anywhere else.

"I make a lot of money, so I truly don't have to think about that too much," Hjalmarsson said. He also got married this summer.

Given the going rate for defensemen and the fact that the salary cap figures to jump up for the first year of Hjalmarsson's deal, it seems like a pretty big win for Bowman. It's tough, for a few reasons, to say the same about Crawford's contract, but that will play itself out over the next few years.

Coincidentally (or not) it was Hjalmarsson who signed a four-year, $14 million offer sheet with the San Jose Sharks after the Blackhawks' 2010 Cup run. The cap-crunched Blackhawks matched the offer, which led to goalie Antti Niemi signing with the Sharks, which led to Crawford taking over the starting job, eventually winning a Cup himself and, in the process, earning the right to be overpaid.

In any case, the Blackhawks have nearly every important player from the 2013 Stanley Cup team locked up for the next two seasons: only spare defenseman Sheldon Brookbank, fourth-line winger Brandon Bollig and backup goalie Nikolai Khabibulin can become unrestricted free agents after 2013-14.

If you're keeping track, the 'Hawks have seven players and about $36.6 million on their cap payroll for the 2015-16 season, which is when theoretical extensions for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane would kick in. By then, the cap figures to sit at about $80 million. The players signed through then: Hjalmarsson, Crawford, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Bryan Bickell.

"The way I look at these signings, is when you find good players, you've got to keep them," Bowman said. "It's hard to find guys like (Hjalmarsson). If you have one, and you know what he's all about, and he wants to be part of your group and he's an effective player and your coaches believe in him, I guess I would turn around and say, 'Why wouldn't you keep him?'

"You can sort the rest out later, but it's better to have a lot of good players on your team than it is to be searching for them."